A credit report will include credit accounts, public records, credit inquiries and any statements of dispute. You should check your credit history at least once a year to keep tabs on your finances and make sure no one has stolen your identity. Everyone is entitled to one free report a year from each of the three credit reporting agencies. (You can get your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.) Learn more about what your credit report says about you.
Today on the Ilyce Glink Show
It's been a tough week for the financial markets. The Dow Jones index lost about 3 percent of its value. The stock market is down more than 9 percent ...
Parts Of Your Credit History
What is included in your credit history? First, your credit history also includes personal factual information, such as your name, Social Security number, current address, how long you've lived at your current address, and past addresses. Your credit history is primarily a list of all of the financial activity in your life. It lists all of the credit accounts you have ever opened, and how long they've been opened, including credit cards, a mortgage, home equity loan, student loans, car loans, personal loans (provided that those were reported to the credit reporting bureaus), lay-aways, and any other type of credit or lending account you might have.
Credit Score: Impact Of Bankruptcy Or Collections
Is bankruptcy or debt collections worse for a credit score? Both debt collections and bankruptcy impact a credit score, although a bankruptcy will stay on a credit report longer than debt collections will. The type of debt also affects how it is reported to credit reporting bureaus and how important its creditors deem it.
Americans Worry About Becoming ID Theft Victims
A majority of Americans worry about becoming victims of identity theft, according to a poll released by Bankrate yesterday. Of those surveyed, 8 in 10...
What’s My Credit Score And How Do I Raise It?
Before you even think about buying a home, you should ask yourself two questions: "What's my credit score?" and "How do I raise it?" Knowing your credit score will help you negotiate a good interest rate on your mortgage, and if you can raise your score, you'll get a loan with a lower interest rate.
Annual Free Credit Report
The only site where to get an annual free credit report is annualcreditreport.com. Ads that offer a free annual credit report aren't free and will still ask for a credit card number. You credit score isn't free, and usually costs about $7 along with the annual free credit report.
Quick Quiz For Credit Counseling
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling recently issued a True/False quiz to see if you're a good candidate for credit counseling. Here's the qu...
Mortgage Lender Doesn’t Report On-Time Payments
A couple's mortgage lender does not report their on-time payments to credit reporting bureaus. They wonder how the mortgage lender's behavior will impact their credit. The mortgage lender is anti-consumer.
Do It Yourself Credit Repair
The best person to repair your credit is you. Credit repair scam artists will charge you anywhere from $500 to $1,500 or more upfront, but these companies can't do anything for you that you can't do for yourself - for free - and they might ultimately do more harm than good. Ilyce shares 10 tips for you to repair your credit. Credit can be repaired when you don't co-sign for loans, make on-time payments and don't over-extend yourself.
Credit Repair Agency Scams Increase
Credit repair scams abound in economic times like these: A shaky economy, record levels of foreclosures, a rising number of bankruptcies, credit card delinquencies, and late mortgage payments. Repairing bad credit takes more than paying a $1,000 fee. Beware of those promising to repair your credit by getting you a new Social Security number.